Deteriorating condition alert strengthening patient safety in virtual emergency care setting

Patients accessing virtual emergency care can now alert staff their condition is worsening while in the waiting room, strengthening patient safety.

The new ‘hand up’ function was added to the ‘waiting room’ of the Virtual Emergency Care Service (VECS), a free, statewide Queensland Health service connecting adults and children with experienced emergency nurses and doctors by video or phone from home.

VECS provides care for illnesses or injuries that are serious but not life-threatening. Patients speak directly with a clinician who will listen, assess their symptoms, and guide the next steps in care.

After connecting to VECS, a patient will be assessed by an emergency nurse. If they require a video consultation with an emergency doctor, they will wait in the virtual waiting room.

Previously, there was no mechanism for the patient to indicate their condition had deteriorated while waiting for the emergency doctor.

Adding the’ hand up’ function, along with pop-up messaging, clearly communicates to the patient what they need to do if they need to seek assistance while waiting.

The addition embeds a clear, patient-activated escalation within the virtual care environment.